"It probably goes without saying, but just in case, I should point out that these are not plot-forwarding butts. Vin Diesel never says, "Hey, Ludacris, Other Guy, get outta that car and come over here; we need to drive fast cars or those butts are going to explode!" The Rock never pulls over to the side of the road saying, "Damn, they're getting away with all of the car money. I'd be able to catch them, but I'm out of gas, and my car runs on butts." They serve no story function. Just butts for butts' sake."

The use of sex or sexualized situations reward or entice viewers. While the specific term "fanservice" arose from the anime community, the concept is far, far older. Most fanservice is seldom explicit or graphic — that is the territory of pornography. Instead, it uses sexuality or hints at sex often in a funny or comedic way to tease and titillate the audience. This is traditionally associated with female characters, but fanservice of male characters isn't uncommon either.

Although some fanservice can increase the appeal of a show, too much fanservice can become very distracting and in some cases, put viewers off completely, especially if the fanservice is directed towards the opposite sex. However, fanservice can lure in viewers easily. At the other end of the spectrum, Crossing the Line Twice, hard as it may be, can also occur at some point, thus using the fanservice for the advancement of the plot. Negima! is a mild example of this, whereas something like Strike Witches goes further and Seikon No Qwaser may be the definitive example of the phenomenon.

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